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“Being a dad was always my only dream. … I can’t think of anything being more important,” Matthew McConaughey tells PEOPLE

Matthew McConaughey is no stranger to deftly juggling whatever life throws his way. But like many parents navigating pandemic life, the star has faced the unique challenge of raising his little ones in quarantine.

To McConaughey’s proud delight, Levi, 12, Vida, 10, and Livingston, 8, his with kids wife Camila, 37, have more than risen to the occasion.

“They have doubled down on their hobbies, creative things and parts of themselves I don’t think they would have leaned into if they were back in school,” the 50-year-old Oscar winner tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story, where he exclusively opens up about his life, his new memoir, Greenlights, and the “awe-inspiring” gift of fatherhood.

• For more from PEOPLE’s exclusive interview with Matthew McConaughey and an exclusive excerpt from his memoir, Greenlights, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

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“One of the assets of this COVID quarantine is they’ve been forced to be more self-reliant. They’ve been forced to create their way out of their boredom,” he says.

One particular passion and skill they’ve honed is photography. “They’re into it — all three [of the kids],” he says. “They’re becoming a production crew. It’s very cool, [and] they’re starting to get kind of good at it.”

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Watch the full episode of People Cover Story: Matthew McConaughey streaming now on PeopleTV.com, or download